


Little Red Robin Hood Visits His Friends

by bluestalking, feverbeats



Series: Jason Red Robin Hood & His Friends The Rogues [4]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2020-10-19 04:15:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20651039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluestalking/pseuds/bluestalking, https://archiveofourown.org/users/feverbeats/pseuds/feverbeats
Summary: Eddie wraps their arms around themself. "I was hoping you could tell us what he plans to do with us. The ones who know."In which Jason has to take some sides.





	Little Red Robin Hood Visits His Friends

**Author's Note:**

> FYI, feverbeats co-wrote this but ao3 is not letting me add them, I’m not solo, it’s a lie!!!

>|< Bruce >|<

Jason doesn’t expect to go to sleep, because it’s freaky when you get kidnapped and almost murdered and then you see the Joker get shot in front of your eyes. He does go to sleep, though. Maybe it’s something in the tea Alfred brings him. You can trust Alfred, but he’s tricky. 

Jason wakes up in daylight with Ace in his arms and Bruce frowning down at him from a chair by his bed. 

“Uh,” says Jason. “Hi.”

"How are you feeling?" Bruce asks. He sounds like someone's making him say it, but Jason can see that he hasn't slept. He must have been really worried.

“I’m okay,” says Jason. He’s alive, which is exciting, and he slept, which was good. “Where’s Alfred?” He feels like Ace is a good start, but like he might need Alfred for whatever comes next.

"He's making your breakfast." Bruce checks his watch. "Or lunch. Jason, we need to talk about last night."

“Oh boy,” says Jason. He wonders if he should sit up, but Ace is heavy and he feels heavy underneath him. Also, if he moves, there’s a chance the Joker won’t be dead.

Bruce is frowning away. "You didn't answer my question. How do you feel?"

“Like I got kidnapped by the Joker,” Jason says. “I don’t know. Bad?” He doesn’t really want to get into it. What he really wants to know is how much trouble everybody is in.

Bruce nods. "Stay in bed. But I need you to tell me what Dick did. To start with."

Jason bites his lip and regrets it pretty badly. He sucks on it instead, which still hurts, but in a different way. 

“He rescued me,” he says. He doesn’t say, _from getting murdered._ It was a close call but it didn’t happen. He doesn’t want to worry about it.

"How did he know where you were?" Bruce asks.

“Maybe the Joker told him,” Jason says. “You never know how that guy’s mind works.” How it works is not at all, presently. 

Bruce doesn't look at all satisfied with that answer. "Jason, where is the Joker now?"

“I don’t know,” says Jason truthfully. “I’m not even sure where I was. There was a bag on my head.”

"And how did you get back here?" Bruce asks. He's supposed to be a detective.

“With Dick,” says Jason slowly, like Bruce is the worrying one. “Hey, are you okay, Bruce?”

"What?" Bruce sounds startled, like he can't imagine what Jason is asking.

“You don’t have to worry,” Jason says. “Everything’s fine now. See?” He spreads his free arm to show how fine he is. His stitches pull but he pretends they don’t. “And I didn’t tell the Joker anything, anyway.”

"I didn't think you did," Bruce says. He reaches out and touches Jason's shoulder, just where it isn't hurt. Then he ruins it all by saying, "But it was your recklessness that caused this."

“Gee, thanks,” Jason says. Maybe he can fall asleep really fast. He doesn’t ask how Bruce figures; he’s for sure going to get that in a second anyway. 

"How do you think they found out who you are, Jason?" Bruce asks. He's not yelling, so he must still be pretty worried.

“What do you mean, they?” Jason says cockily. Oh, crap.

Bruce folds his arms and looks at Jason. "Why don't you tell me?"

“I didn’t tell anybody!” Jason protests. “I stayed in disguise the whole time! I only talked about my mom!” His head hurts. Don’t you catch a break when your head hurts?

Bruce looks thrown. "Your mom? What? That's not what I--"

“I didn’t say her name or anything,” Jason says, and then he gets scared. “Do you think she’s all right?”

"I'll have Barbara check," Bruce says immediately. "I thought...Look, no, that's not important. Barbara will check. But Jason, do you understand that you can't spend that much time with someone like the Riddler without him finding out about you?"

“_They_,” says Jason stubbornly, because there’s no reason for Bruce to be a dick about this. “Anyway, they’re my friend now. And I know it wasn’t them.”

"Then you know who it was," Bruce says firmly. He presses the back of his hand to Jason's forehead. "Hm. Anyway, go on." Bruce is the absolute worst at nursing someone back to health.

Jason squeezes his eyes shut. “It’s just the Joker,” he says, which is crap and Bruce will know it. But he owes Harley to try, even if it’s her fault he was there in the first place. “I don’t think anybody else knows.”

"Well, was anyone else _there?_ Was Harley Quinn there?"

If Jason says no, the game is up.

“Yes,” he says reluctantly.

"There's no way the Joker could have found out," Bruce says. "But I wonder…" He glances behind him, out into the hall. "She didn't say anything to you?"

“She didn’t know what he was going to do,” Jason says. It’s not Bruce’s question, maybe, but he’s trying to squeeze in as much of a defense as he can before things fall apart.

"She was here," Bruce says. "With Poison Ivy, before. She saw you. She heard you. What if--?"

“It doesn’t matter,” Jason says. He sounds a little pathetic. “She got Dick.”

Bruce, though, charges right past that point. "It doesn't matter! She knows, and the Joker knows. I'm going to have to deal with that. Whether she got cold feet or whether that was another trap, that's not really the issue here. They both know." He rubs his face. "And probably Poison Ivy."

Of course this would be the one time Bruce knows anything about their personal lives.

“You’re not being fair,” Jason says. 

"This isn't about fair!" Bruce snaps. "You don't understand what this--they _know._"

“She won’t tell,” Jason says, alarmed. “No one can make her. The only person scarier than Harley is the Joker, and he’s--”

"He's what?" Bruce says, but not like he doesn't know.

“Not in a killing kind of place?” Jason suggests.

Bruce swears, which he _never_ does. Then he says something even weirder. "Sorry. Jason, I'm sorry."

“For what?” Jason says, even though it’s such a rare thing that he thinks asking is pushing it.

"I didn't come in here to yell at you," Bruce says. "I came to check on you. I'm sorry you got hurt and I'm sorry I wasn't home to stop it."

“It’s okay,” Jason says. “It worked out, right? I’m okay. Dick helped me.”

Bruce grunts. Maybe he's trying to figure out how to blame Dick for this. Finally he says, "I'm just glad you're all right. You're not to see them again, Jason. Any of them."

Jason is mad, but Jason is mad lying down with a dog on top of him. He says, “Well, sure. But probably I will when we go out, right? Cause they’re bad guys and all that.”

"That's the only time you'll see them." Maybe Bruce is trying to look dangerous, but he just looks tired.

“Okay,” Jason says, “but then I’m not going to school anymore.”

"What?" Bruce says. Bruce only says _what_ this much when Jason is winning an argument.

“You want me to go to school and I think school is bad. I want to help people and you think helping people is bad. It’s called a compromise.”

"That's not accurate," Bruce says. "I think those people are going to help _you_ into an early grave." He winces.

“It’s not like what we do already is safe,” Jason says. He keeps his tone light. “I’m pretty sure old Joker didn’t want to kill me cuz I know the Scarecrow’s favorite side dish.”

Bruce opens his mouth, and Jason is pretty sure he's going to say _what_ again. Instead he says, "Excuse me?"

“Mixed roast vegetable medley,” Jason says. 

Bruce rubs his temples. "I've been up all night," he says. "Just promise me you'll stay in until further notice."

Jason sobers. “Yeah,” he says. “I think maybe I’ll just hang out with Ace today.” He brightens again. “Hey, but this no school thing is already going great!”

"We'll discuss it," Bruce says. He hesitates, then gently ruffles Jason's hair. "Jason, I mean it. I don't want you to get out of bed, let alone leave the house. I'm going to get some sleep."

“Can you tell Alfred to bring me beer with my lunch?” Jason asks. “I think I deserve beer.”

"I'm sure there's root beer in the fridge," Bruce says. He shoots Jason a sideways, sneaky smile before retreating back to his den.

>|< Alfred >|<

Jason waits ten minutes before he prods Ace awake. “Come on, boy,” he says. “We’ve got to go see what Alfred is making.”

Ace is as worried as Bruce, which is lucky, because he gives Jason something extra to lean on all the way down to the kitchen. Something in there smells really good.

“What’s for lunch?” he asks. 

"Tomato soup," Alfred says without turning. "And those sandwiches you like. I believe you were going to stay in bed?"

“Uggggghhhhh,” Jason says. “In a minute.”

"And did Master Bruce tender his apologies for his bad manners?" Alfred asks. He turns and offers Jason a spoonful of soup to try.

“He kind of did!” Jason said. “Weird, right?”

"Mysterious," Alfred says, straight-faced.

Jason says, “Oh, that makes more sense. I think he meant it, though. He didn’t even say no to my no school plan.”

He zeroes in on a chair and sits down. He doesn’t feel too great, honestly. 

Alfred puts a bowl of soup and a sandwich down in front of Jason, plus, yes, a root beer.

"I think he may have more pressing concerns than that," Alfred says.

Jason takes a bite of the sandwich, and then another. It’s because he’s hungry, but also so he can think. 

“Did he tell you what happened to the Joker?” he asks. 

"Yes," Afred says. He's really good at being totally unreadable.

“What’s he going to do to Dick?” Jason asks next.

"That's not really within his purview," Alfred says. "Although I'm not sure he believes that, so one never knows."

Jason bites his lips. He knows Alfred pretty well by now, and what he’s learned is that Alfred is Bruce’s man, but he takes Jason’s side. He says, “It’s my fault Dick did it.”

"No," Alfred says, a little sharply. "What happened is nobody's fault but the Joker's." He slides a glass of water onto the table next to the root beer. "I don't want you feeling you need to take that on."

Jason says, “I didn’t tell the Joker anything. I swear I didn’t, but he still knew it was me.”

"It would hardly take a genius to put the pieces together," Alfred says. "Especially with you following Master Dick." He shakes his head. "The family is too high-profile for that to have been missed entirely, no matter what Master Bruce might wish."

Jason eats for a minute, then feeds a corner of his sandwich to the dog. “I guess I kind of told him to do it,” he says. “I told him the Joker knew. I knew he might--well, I guess I knew somebody might. I didn’t know for sure that Dick would.”

Alfred watches Ace chew. Finally he says, "I'm not sorry it happened, although I wish he hadn't been the one to do it. And I'm not angry with either of you."

Jason smiles at him. “You’re the best, Alfred,” he says. He looks down at his lunch. “Would it be okay if I ate the rest of this in bed?”

"Nothing would make me happier," Alfred says, lifting an eyebrow. "I'll carry the dishes and you bring the dog."

>|< Babs >|<

Bruce must still be worried, because it’s two days later and Barbara keeps being at the Manor. Barbara is never at the Manor. Barbara scorns the Manor. 

Jason, who’s still not allowed out (and who still feels pretty crappy), is in his favorite living room playing video games while Barbara watches. Bruce is off ruining the Riddler’s night or kicking mobsters, but Jason and Babs are here. 

Jason’s character flies off a cliff and dies. He says, “So babysitting, huh.”

"If you're a baby," she says, deadpan. "You know I beat this level on the first try?"

“Eff you,” Jason says, since Barbara is too cool to actually swear at. His character pops back up on the screen, blinks a couple of times, and takes off up the path to fight a few dozen more monsters. “Bruce is being crazy. Joker’s dead. No one else is coming for us. Nobody’s gonna tell.”

"I know," Barbara says. "You've somehow managed to charm the whole criminal underworld of Gotham. I'm not sure how you managed that, knowing your personality."

“Hey!” Jason says. “I’m charming! Anyway, maybe they just like someone who’s a little down to Earth.”

"Apparently," she says. "Honestly, it's lucky for us that you did make friends with them. Otherwise this situation would be a lot worse. Between you and Dick, you've contained it. Maybe that's what put Bruce in a mood."

“I don’t know everything that happened,” Jason says. He falls off another cliff and winces. “I’m glad it worked, though.”

"Bruce isn't too keen on letting you spend time with them," Babs says. "And honestly, he's probably right. No, jump.

“Aw, crap,” says Jason, but he makes it this time. “I know that, but I mean, it just sort of happened. It was fine. He didn’t have to go and make it a thing.”

"Trust me," Babs says darkly, with the gravity of one who knows, "It was always going to be a thing."

Jason rolls his eyes, but because she’s right. Bruce sees everything in black and white. Jason wonders sometimes how Bruce sees him. 

“Everything’s got to be simple with him,” Jason says. “I don’t get why he even likes me.”

Barbara is silent for a minute, watching him play. "Well," she says, "I think he's always looking for a little balance. You can't argue that you're about as different from him as it's possible to be."

Jason frowns, really getting into his argument. “At least his rogues get where I come from,” he says.

"And therein lies the problem," Barbara says. "Where are you going with this, Jay? And I won't tell on you."

“I’m just saying,” Jason says. “If Bruce wasn’t rich and had the cops on his side, he’d look as bad as they do.”

"To a lot of people, he does look like that," Babs says. "But he also doesn't rob or kill people."

“I guess that’s just not one of my hard limits on friendship,” Jason says. He’s not trying to be a jerk, he just gets mad.

Barbara doesn't get mad back or say "when you're older" or anything. Instead she's quiet for a while and then says, "Let me see that controller."

He almost doesn’t hand it over because he hates people to feel bad for him, but finally he lets her have it. 

“I mean, I know what right and wrong is,” Jason says. “It’s just kind of bullshit.”

"You're coming from a really different place than Bruce," Barbara says. "Not to say that he's always right, just...you have background he doesn't have, and vice versa." She makes the jump Jason was trying to make on the first try.

“So you think I’m a bad person?” Jason says. “Figures.”

She frowns and gives the controller back. "That's not what I said. At all."

“Oh,” says Jason. “Well. He must think so.”

"I wish I could tell you he doesn't, but I never know what's going on in his head," Barbara says. "I can promise he was really worried, though." She looks at Jason sideways.

Jason cheers up. “That’s true,” he says. “So maybe he’ll forgive me if I don’t do everything he tells me.”

"What were you thinking of?" Barbara asks, so casually he almost misses her digging around.

“Nothin,” Jason says. That means he’s not going to cut out on people who saved his life, cold turkey, without even thanking them.

"Okay," Barbara says. "I'm just the babysitter, not the world's greatest detective, right?"

“If I’m gonna do anything dumb,” says Jason, “I promise I’ll tell Dick.”

Babs laughs. "There are way worse deals. I'll take it."

Jason grins. “Wanna play for awhile?” he says.

>|< Eddie >|<

Jason does NOT tell Dick when he goes to see Eddie, because seeing Eddie is NOT dumb. Even if Jon is there, which he is. It’s been a week since the Joker kicked it. Jason’s restless, Bruce won’t let him work, and it’s bothering him not to say thank you. He waits until he’s sure no one is watching him, and away he goes. When he gets to Eddie’s place, he definitely interrupts something. Whoops.

By the time Eddie has scrambled into some clothes and stopped swearing, they have the sense to look suspicious.

"You weren't followed, right?" they ask. At least they're not accusing Jason of trying to bust them.

“What does that mean?” Jason asks. “I never get followed!”

"I'm guessing some things have changed," Eddie says, perching on the arm of the couch. "I mean, haven't they? They've definitely changed over on this side."

“Oh,” Jason says. “Yeah, I guess they would. I don’t really know what’s been happening.” It occurs to him that he has no idea what Bruce has been doing all week.

Eddie wraps their arms around themself. "I was hoping you could tell us what he plans to do with us. The ones who know."

Jon comes out of the bedroom, not at his best. He looks like a menace, the kind Barbara would consider Dick-calling material.

“We want to be prepared,” he says.

“Has he been bothering you?” Jason demands. “I told him you weren’t even there! Wait, does Jonathan know about _us_?”

"Jon doesn't know," Eddie says, so fast that Jason is pretty sure it's a lie. "But yes, we're being bothered."

Jason looks at Jonathan, who glowers back at him. Jon definitely knows.

“Hey,” Jason says, “don’t look at me. I don’t sic Batman on anybody, and I come from down here anyway. _You_ don’t even come from down here.”

Eddie points at Jon and nods. "He's right. Eat the rich, as Ivy would say. Of course, she's also the rich. Look, Robin, what are we going to _do?_ He's down here like once a day. I'm afraid he's going to kill us."

“_What?_” Jason says.

"I know," Eddie says quickly. "I know, I know, Batman doesn't kill. But we know something nobody was ever supposed to know, and he's--it's really been scaring me." They dart their eyes toward Jonathan.

“He’s unpleasant,” Jonathan says. Not a lot more than that is coming out of him tonight, except in a kind of haze of unwellness.

“What’s he doing?” Jason asks. He feels sick, and he feels angry. 

"Hanging around," Eddie says. "Making threats. He shook me. It could be worse. He doesn't have anything to put us in Arkham for right now. Me, anyway."

“_I_ haven’t done anything,” Jonathan says. “_I_ have too many clients to have time for that kind of thing.” He doesn’t say it very clearly, though. Jason thinks he’s as scared as Eddie is.

“I’ll talk to him,” he says. “Jeez. All I wanted to do was say thank you.”

"Oh," Eddie says, brightening. "Don't worry about that. It was mostly Harley, and we had to. You've done the same for us a billion times."

“I thought I was gonna die for real,” Jason says. “And I was being--you know, the other me, so I couldn’t even get mad.” He laughs, but it sounds anxious even to him. Come on, Jay.

Eddie flings their arms around Jason. "Oh my _god._ That was so--just really fucked up. I'm so glad we got there in time."

Jason hugs them back, and it feels so nice that he instantly cheers up. 

“Still a little sore, though,” he says. “Wanna see my stitches?”

“Yes,” says Jon.

"Uh," Eddie says. "You can show Jon." They look at Jon again, and this time Jason can tell that they're worried.

“Okay, shut your eyes,” Jason says, and starts taking off his shirt. He only has the one set of stitches but he knows he still looks nasty. He’s sort of yellow-green all across the front. Joker was an asshole who completely deserved to die.

“Oh,” says Jon. “How awful. Are you all right?” He blinks, slowly, like he’s signalling a ship far away.

Eddie opens their eyes, looking at Jon instead of Jason. "Don't mind him," he says. "He's just being--Jon. He's fine. Unless Batman kills him. Ha."

Jason clambers back into his shirt and says, “I’m _not_ worried. Me and Jon have met before, you know.”

“We’re friends,” says Jonathan.

"Yeah, friends," Eddie says. "Are we, though? You're here today, sure, but how are you going to get away with coming over here?"

Jason’s smile dampens. “I’m not supposed to be here at all,” he says. “More than before. Do you think me being here makes it worse for you?”

"Don't worry about that," Eddie says, but their expression says yes. "Just see if you can find out what he's going to do. He doesn't necessarily think I'm a real threat, but it's worse for Jon and Harley..."

“I know,” Jason says. “I’ll--I’ll do something about it. I’m sorry.” He’s horribly sorry. “I was only ever trying to help. I really messed things up.”

"I'm not mad," Eddie says quickly. "Hey. None of us are mad. We wanted to help. And the only person who's sorry he's dead is Harley, and even she's not _that_ sorry."

“Really?” Jason says. “She’s obsessed with the guy. That’s surprising.”

Now Eddie looks uncomfortable. "There was a lot going on there. Her business, but...a lot."

Jason nods, tucking that away. “I’m going to fix this,” he says. “Things shouldn’t be worse without the Joker.”

"Not necessarily _worse_," Eddie says lightly. "Just...things rush in to fill the void, you know?"

Jason wonders if Carmine Falcone and the other crime lords are filling that void. Why hasn’t Bruce been telling him _anything_? Well, probably because Jason would flip out, that’s why.

He nods, and says, “I’ll do what I can. I don’t want to say this is the last time I come down here, I just--don’t know what’s going to happen.”

"Take care of yourself," Eddie says seriously. "And if you ever need some help with that...Well, I probably shouldn't be your go-to, but, you know. You have friends. We're not just going to forget about you because your boss is an asshole."

Jason almost argues the point, but this is their touching, kind of crappy moment, and there’s no need to go defending Bruce in the middle of him splitting them up.

“That’s really nice of you to say,” he says. He squints at Jonathan. “You definitely don’t hug, do you.”

“I won’t eat you,” says Jonathan, spreading his gangly arms. 

Eddie slings an arm around each of them and pulls them in. When they pull away, they're blinking too much. "Gotham was better for a hot minute," they say. "Guess that was always going to end."

Jason says, “You’ll be okay. I promise.” He’ll make it true, even if he isn’t here anymore.

Crap. He hates this. 

“Don’t let the bad bat bat you badly,” Jon says. 

Eddie gives a surprised little laugh. "What he said. Go on, go. I'm getting upset."

Jason gives them a shrug and a smile. “I’ll see you around,” he says. “Somehow.”

Before it can get worse, he leaves out the window he came in.

>|< Dick and Harley >|<

“Someone should be out there while you’re off partying,” Jason argues. “I’ll be with Dick the whole time, I swear. I won’t even a little go somewhere without him.”

"You're assuming that I trust Dick more than you," Bruce says stonily. "Maybe you could chaperone him."

It’s a good thing Dick isn’t here. That is the kind of thing that puts him in a bad mood.

“Come on,” says Jason, “you know he’s responsible.”

Bruce is probably still mad about the killing Joker thing. Jason is still mad about Bruce being mad.

"Don't tell me what I know," Bruce says. He's probably in a bad mood because he has to be anywhere but out on the streets. "He hasn't behaved responsibly at all."

Jason doesn’t start a fight only by trying extremely hard not to. The Joker deserved it. Batman would be toast without it. Jason could still have ended up dead if he didn’t do it. _Oh, really, what would you have done?_ he does not ask. Also, _Do you even care if I died?_ Because he does know the answer to that. 

Anyway it’s really hard not to start a fight.

“He doesn’t just go around shooting people,” Jason says. “It was a special circumstance.”

"At this point, I wish I could keep you both off the streets." Bruce eyes Jason. "But since I can't, I think my only other option is telling you no and having you go anyway, is that right?"

Jason tries to school his face into some kind of innocence and ends up looking way worse than if he just admitted it.

He realizes Bruce is trying not to smile. "Well," he says. "This has all been--a hectic time. It's nice to see you're still yourself. Go with Dick, since I can't stop you. But Jason, you really have to stay with him. Just for safety's sake." Wow, Bruce was really worried.

“Yes SIR,” Jason says in his best schoolboy voice. He grins. “Don’t worry so much. Now that Dick shoots people, no one’s gonna mess with me.”

"It's not funny," Bruce says, scowling. "I don't know how to impress that upon you. I know you think this is all a game, but you've seen how people who feel that way end up."

Jason bites his tongue--he really does it--but he can’t help himself. “I don’t think it’s a game,” he says too sharply. “I think he would have killed me and known all about you and you wouldn’t have done anything about it. I was protecting you. Dick was protecting _me_. What did you want us to do?” Whoops, there it is.

Bruce hesitates. "I don't know," he says. "I didn't know then and I don't know now, because it isn't over. There are still people out there who know. But the piece I can control is not putting you in the line of fire again.'

“I’m already in it,” Jason says. “When I started being Robin, I was in it for good. It’s okay, Bruce, I’m not mad about that. But you can’t treat me like a little helpless kid! _That’s_ how I’m gonna get hurt.”

"You're right," Bruce says shortly. "And I hate that. Stay with Dick tonight. All right?"

“Promise,” says Jason. “I wasn’t ever gonna run off.”

"If you do," Bruce says, "at least we know he's good at finding you. Somehow." He gives Jason his "I can't solve this mystery and it pisses me off" look.

Jason shrugs. “It’s all pretty blurry,” he says. It isn’t blurry at all, and in fact he kind of wishes it was, but this is his story that he’s sticking to. “I’m going to go wait in the cave, okay?”

Bruce nods. "I'll bring you back a pastry, if they have pastries. If you overdo it and aren't feeling good, get Dick to bring you right back." He probably doesn't believe Jason is taking in a word of it. He rests his hand on Jason's shoulder for a minute before going to get in his stupid sports car.

Jason heads down to the batcave. He doesn’t change into his Robin costume; he’s already dressed most of the way in his other outfit, the going out one with the black jacket and the red hoodie. Bruce doesn’t know about that, or he would have recognized it and pitched way more of a fit. Jason sits down there dangling his feet off Bruce’s (Batman’s) desk. When Dick drives in, Jason grins and waves.

Dick waves back, but he looks wary. Also, tired. "Hey," he says. "I can't believe Bruce isn't making us cut off all contact, or locking you up in a convent or something."

“He knows I’d convert all the nuns,” Jason says. “Hey, you should borrow some clothes from me, that outfit is totally obvious.”

"Wait a minute," Dick says.

“It’s totally safe,” Jason says. “I’m going to be super good after this. But I have to do something and Bruce won’t let me out on my own. Come on, I brought some stuff down to try.”

"I'm going to need a lot more of an explanation than that," Dick says. "But maybe on the way. I don't know how many cameras there are in here." It's maybe a joke? Jason can't tell.

“Don’t be a buzzkill,” Jason says. “It’s going to be great.” He stuffs his Robin costume into his bag, so Bruce doesn’t see it if he gets home first, and says, “Here, Dick, I won’t even look while you’re changing.”

"This is the worst idea I've ever heard," Dick says, but he does what Jason tells him without putting up too much of a fight.

When he’s dressed right, Jason hands him a little mask, and says, “You look great! Budget superhero is hotter than prestige, IMO.”

"Superhero is a dicey word," Dick says. "We're not fighting crime."

Jason grins. “Depends on how good your behavior is,” he says. “Come on, let’s go. I owe this one.” 

"You're the boss, boss," Dick says. "But I'm driving."

“Damn,” says Jason. 

It’s hard to talk on the bike, and Jason has a lot of his mind focused on enjoying the ride instead of feeling the physical discomfort that’s still chasing him around. Still, he has questions. He’s going to ask before they get to Harley’s and Dick can change all his answers.

He hollers directions and stops them a few minutes’ walk from her place. 

"Okay," Dick says, getting off the bike. "Nobody better steal this." In this neighborhood, who knows? Doesn't Dick have any kind of security on this thing?

“Okay,” Jason says helpfully, and leads the way. When they’re far enough from the bike that Dick can’t immediately get back on it and leave, Jason says, “So are you okay? Since the Joker thing?”

"Ah," Dick says. He stops walking. "You don't need to worry about me, Jay. You're the one who got hurt."

“Come on,” Jason says. “He won’t tell me anything and you never—you didn’t kill anybody before, right?” He sounds too interested, but oh well. 

"Yeah," Dick says. "Yeah, that was a first. I--I'm sorry." He looks at Jason. "I'm not sorry I did it, but I'm sorry if it upset you."

Jason shrugs. “I told you to. And he deserved it. Are people coming after you, though?”

"Weirdly, no," Dick says. "All the people on the Joker's side seem pretty relieved, it turns out. I haven't seen Harley, but she's the reason you're alive, so. I'd say the person who's the most out to get me is Bruce."

Jason sighs. “Not just you,” he says. “Everyone I’ve been—you know, kind of friends with—they’re scared because they know. They think he’s gonna hurt them. I don’t know what to do.”

"He won't hurt them," Dick says. He winces. "Sorry, that's not--he won't hurt them more than usual. Is that even a little comforting?"

Jason shakes his head. “I’m not sure. He’s being weird. He’s going down there every night.”

"Huh," Dick says. "And I probably wouldn't have cared a year ago. So thanks for that." He says it like he's being sarcastic, but kind of not. "What do you think we should do?"

“I don’t know. They were so freaked out when I saw them that I promised not to go back,” Jason says. It feels bad to say out loud. “They’re not going to tell anyone. The last thing Eddie wants is to have a big effing target on their back.”

"You and Eddie," Dick says, shaking his head. "But I get it now. We can't just let them fend for themselves."

“You’re really not like him,” Jason says. “Bruce. I mean, I could tell that right away. But you’re cooler than I thought at first.”

Dick smiles--a real smile--and ruffles Jason's hair carefully. "Coming from you, that's a real compliment."

Jason says, “Yeah, well, just keep in mind how happy I just made you, okay? Because even if I don’t know what to do about him, there’s something I’ve got to do.” He stops at the foot of a crappy apartment building and looks up.

"Are you sure you want me around for this?" Dick says, either because he's trying to be thoughtful or because he doesn't want to be in even more trouble than he already is.

“I promised not to leave your side,” says Jason cheerfully. “Anyway, she is scary, isn’t she?”

"You're not making me feel good about this," Dick says, but he doesn't leave. "I've got your back. Also, I'm armed." He taps his escrima sticks, which are hanging from his belt.

“Adorable,” says Jason. “Come on, let’s just ring the bell.”

Before Dick can object to that course of action, Jason marches up and punches the buzzer.

Dick gingerly unhooks the escrima sticks from his belt. "I"m not planning on needing these," he tells Jason. "But let's not get crazy here. Especially after what I did."

Jason opens his mouth to answer, but the speaker screeches and Harley’s voice says, “Yeah, does someone want something?”

“Hi,” says Jason. “It’s me. Robin.”

“Oh, shit,” says Harley. “You didn’t bring _him_, did you?” 

Jason doesn’t know which one. 

“No Batman,” he says.

The door buzzes to let them in. 

"This is a really tight place to be in," Dick says. Unclear if he just means physically, but the stairwell is really tight. "I'm guessing you know the way." He follows Jason up. "We should have warned her that I'm here," he says when they reach the landing.

“So stay back a little,” Jason says. “Don’t crowd or whatever. I’ll just explain.”

"I'd love an explanation," Dick says mildly.

“Is it really confusing?” Jason says. He hops up the rest of the stairs and knocks on Harley’s door.

Dick stands behind him, weapon clenched in his fist, but at his side.

There’s the tiniest sound from the other side of the door, which Jason realizes is the peephole door swishing open and shut as soon as Harley, inside, says, “Oh, you’re kidding!”

“He’s just the babysitter,” Jason says. “I promise!”

"I know you probably don't want to see me," Dick says, voice raised a little, "but I'll just stand in a corner or something."

“You’ll stand exactly where you are!” Harley says loudly. “You, kid. What do you want?”

“I just want to talk,” Jason says. No one ever believes you when you say crap like that, but it’s true, so that’s what comes out of his mouth. 

Harley opens the door. “Bullcrap,” she says. “But seriously, come in, I guess, before everyone on the floor knows more about me than I want them to. You couldn’t come in the window for heck’s sake?” She lets them both inside.

"You sometimes have a bazooka aimed at the window," Dick says, which Jason doesn't think is very helpful.

Harley laughs, but it’s not the big, aggressive noise it is sometimes. She shuts the door behind them, and Jason adjusts. Instead of her costume, Harley’s in terry shorts and a big t-shirt. Her hair is down and she isn’t wearing any makeup. She looks like she’s been crying, but she doesn’t look upset. The TV is on in the background.

She grabs the remote and turns it off. 

“Okay,” she says, “what do you want, kids? I can’t tell you where the Joker is, if that’s what you’re after.”

"No," Dick says, too fast. "Sorry, no. Not that. We're not here to ask...Batman-type questions."

“Yeah,” Jason says. “It’s not that. Sorry this is weird.”

"It's not weird." Harley sniffles aggressively and crosses her arms. "Why are you here?"

“Well...you helped me,” Jason says. “I didn’t get a chance to say thank you.”

"Ha," Harley says. "Yeah, you're welcome. Hope you know I wouldn't have done it if I'd known what was gonna happen." She doesn't look at Dick at all.

“Yeah,” Jason says. “I know.”

"Glad you're okay, though," she says, looking him up and down. "Me and Eddie are both glad. Jon, I don't know."

“He’s glad,” says Jason easily. “We hugged.”

"Oh goody," Harley says flatly. "Everybody hated the Joker. If you were planning on coming over to watch movies and braid hair, you're out of luck."

Jason doesn’t let that touch him. “No,” he says. “I came to say thank you, for saving my life. And to see what you’re going to do about Batman. And find out if Batman’s bugging you.” He considers. “So a bunch of stuff.”

Harley sighs. "Yeah, sit down. Not you," she adds to Dick, who lifts his hands in apology and stays standing awkwardly. "Okay," Harley says, "Batman. He's been looking for me, but no such luck for him."

“He’s smart,” Jason says. “You know.”

"So, what, you think I should kill him?" Harley laughs, and Dick looks uncomfortable. "Believe me, tried that."

Jason says, “It’s him or the cops.” The cops, they both know, don’t care if criminals die before they ever make it to Arkham. (Jason really hopes Dick keeps his mouth shut at this point.)

"Just what are you asking, here?" Harley asks, eyes narrowed.

“I want you to let me deal with Batman,” Jason says. “I just need to know what I’m fixing.”

"He's threatening Jon and Eddie," Harley says. "Eddie thinks he's gonna--hurt them. I don't know what to think, but everyone knew he'd go off the rails if anything ever--Everybody just knew, that's all."

Dick clears his throat but doesn't say anything.

Jason says, “It’s kind of a big deal. The Batman thing.” He tilts his head. “When did you figure it out?” He’s pretty sure, but it never hurts to have the facts.

"After me and Ivy broke in," Harley says. "No offense, but you don't sound that different, and after I saw you at Eddie's…"

Jason doesn’t dart a look at Dick, but he does say, “Does _Ivy_ know?!”

"If you think I'm throwing more people under the bus…" she starts.

"Batman's already been to Ivy's, looking for Harley," Dick says quietly to Jason.

Jason had imagined this whole scene a little differently, like he would come say thank you and make big promises and Bruce wouldn’t be a whole entire hot mess, scaring the crap out of everybody and getting himself killed.

“Crap,” he says. “I’m sorry.” He frowns. “Although, you know, this is your fault, too. You didn’t have to tell the Joker about me.”

"If you want me to say sorry, think again," Harley says. "I'm only sorry for what he decided to do about it." She sobers up a little. "I am sorry about that part. Really sorry."

“No offense, but what did you think he was going to do?” Jason asks. He swallows down the feeling he can’t shrug off. “But whatever. I got caught, you told the Joker, and now he’s dead and Batman’s...broken. We kind of _have_ to team up on this one, don’t we?”

"Ooh," Harley says, brightening. "Jon owes Eddie money."

"Hold on," Dick says, "What exactly does team up mean?"

Jason says, “It means I get in his way. If he tries to hurt them.” He swallows. “And if he won’t stop, then _I’ll_ tell everyone who he is.”

"_What?_" Dick says.

"Holy shit," Harley says, delighted.

“What’s he going to do?” Jason asks Dick. “What do you seriously think he’s going to do?”

"I seriously don't think he's going to kill anyone," Dick says. "He's freaked out by people knowing, and by the thing with the Joker, but do you really want to turn that freakout on yourself?"

“Well if he stops when I get in his way, I _won’t_,” says Jason. “That’s called a last resort. Well, blackmail is the second-to-last resort. Becoming a supervillain is the actual last resort.”

Dick stares at him. "We need to go talk," he says.

"Don't mind me," Harley says.

Jason sighs and gets up and goes back into the tiny kitchen. He crosses his arms and squints up at Dick. 

"You can't--" Dick takes a deep breath. "Jason, what you're talking about, there isn't any going back. Not with Bruce. If you threaten him with that, he'll never speak to you again."

“Which is why I’m _not,_” Jason says, even though his skin prickles with fear to hear Dick say it. “But I’m not letting a bunch of people be hurt, or just afraid forever, because of _me._”

Dick stares at him, and Jason is afraid for a second that _Dick_ will never speak to him again. Then Dick says, "What do you need me to do?"

“Just drop me off, after this,” Jason says. “And if I get kicked out, maybe I can crash with you?”

"You can always crash with me." Dick's voice is kind of scratchy. "Okay? You're a really good kid."

“I’m all right,” Jason says. Then, because that’s not fair enough, he says, “Thanks, Dick.”

Dick puts his arm around Jason and hugs him quickly. "Let's get out of here before Harley decides she can't stand the sight of me."

“Yeah, just hang here a second?” Jason says. He steps back into the other room and says, “Can you tell everyone I’m going to handle it? I’m going to handle it.”

"I'll tell 'em," Harley says. "I'd say you've got it covered, but if you need backup, we're not all as scared of Batman as Eddie is."

Poor Dick, Jason thinks. He’s really going to start to feel like he’s babysitting an actual villain. 

“I think I’m good,” he says. “But thanks. See you around, maybe.”

"Oh, I'll see you around," Harley says. "I'm gonna tell Eddie they won money."

“Oh boy,” says Jason. “I hope Jon bet them a lot. He can afford it.”

"You already know what's what," Harley says appreciatively. She looks a lot happier than when Jason first came in. "Now get lost. Or I might start getting ideas about what I can do to Nightwing's front teeth."

“All right, all right,” Jason says. He goes to get Dick, and they leave out the front door.

>|< Bruce >|<

Jason doesn’t like to sit around thinking about things. He likes to do them, because as far as he’s concerned, once he knows what’s what, there’s no point in waiting. Because Dick asks him to, he does wait overnight to talk to Bruce about the rogue problem. He actually waits until breakfast, when Alfred isn’t in the room. 

“So,” he says. “A little birdie says you’re spending a lot of time downtown? The little birdie is me.”

"Jason," Bruce says warningly.

“What?” Jason says. “I was with Dick.” 

"You know I go out," Bruce says, and if he's on the defensive, he must know he's done something wrong. Right? "It's my job. Our job."

“You’re hunting them down,” Jason says. 

"I'm not hurting them," Bruce says. "It would probably be better if I were. But if they're not afraid, this is over, do you understand? They'll destroy us." It's a little overdramatic, for breakfast time.

“They think you’re going to kill them,” Jason says. 

"They're wrong," Bruce snaps. He looks at his toast angrily. "We don't do that. That's why Dick and I have been having...conversations."

Have they? Jason doesn’t get told _anything._

“You’re so scared of the people who _saved my life_,” he says. “What would you do if the Joker was alive? Anyone else can keep a secret. What would he do to us?” He emphasizes the us, because they have the answer to what he’d do to Jason.

Bruce pushes his plate away. "That's almost exactly what Dick said. He thinks I should be grateful. And yes, the problem would be worse if the Joker were alive, but that doesn't mean we can just completely lose sight of our morals. And believe me, I'm showing restraint, because none of those people are going to be keeping secrets for me."

Jason says, “I’m not losing sight of anything. Even if they knew they wouldn’t tell anyone. If anyone knew that they knew, worse people would be hunting them down who really _will_ kill them.”

"You care too much," Bruce says, which is a totally insane thing to say.

“I’m right,” says Jason. “Because I actually pay attention. It’s not like you don’t do the same thing when you want to.”

"What?" Bruce says. "What do you mean?" He's not yelling, so maybe Jason is wearing him down.

Jason gives him a look. “Oh, I’m Catwoman, I _never_ rob people and I _never_ kiss Batman and I also _never_ go to Arkham. Or even normal jail,” he adds, in a normal voice.

Bruce goes still. Finally he says, "She's never killed anyone. And if you're trying to tell me that's the same as someone like Harley Quinn, you're just naive." As if killing someone is the only line someone can cross.

“So has the Riddler never killed anyone, if that’s what you care about,” Jason says. “Anyway, I know the difference between Harley and some of those other guys. But she’s not going to tell.”

"Then you don't know her at all," Bruce says lightly.

“You know,” says Jason, “she’s the one who got help.”

Bruce looks at him sharply. "I didn't know. I assumed it was the Riddler. Why would she do that?"

“She didn’t want him to kill me,” Jason says obviously. But he _has_ thought about this. A lot. Even before he went over there. “Because she’s not all evil, and she’s smart, too. I wouldn’t want to be the person who killed Robin.” 

Bruce still isn't eating. He looks like he's thinking really hard. "No," he says finally. "But this is going to spread. If the Scarecrow knows, how long do you really think he can keep it together? And there will be someone in Gotham who won't mind being the person who kills you." He winces.

“You don’t know if the Scarecrow knows,” Jason points out, a little desperately.

"If he doesn't, he will," Bruce says. "The Riddler knows, after all. I'm not going to kill him, Jason, but he might need to be put away more permanently."

“No one listens to the Scarecrow,” says Jason. “You don’t. No one does. You don’t have to do that.” What would happen to Jon in Arkham if he couldn’t get out?

"Him and the Riddler," Bruce says firmly. "And Harley. With the Joker gone, things are changing." Yeah, and Bruce is one of those things.

“I can’t let you do that,” Jason says. “They’ll die in there. I don’t know about Harley, but Eddie and Jon will. They need friends, not life in prison. Not because they saved my _life_.”

"The fact that they did one good thing doesn't negate everything else they've done," Bruce says.

“Yeah, but the fact that you’re only going after them like this _now_ kind of ruins your argument,” Jason shoots back. “I’m not gonna let you do it, okay?”

"What do you think you're going to do?" Bruce is frowning, as if it's never occurred to him that Jason might do anything.

Jason bites his tongue for a second, and then says, “Maybe if you’re so worried about Robin getting killed, there just shouldn’t be a Robin.”

Bruce’s shoulders relax. "I've thought about that. It's one of the reasons Dick...left. Before. This might just be too dangerous for you."

Jason feels like bubbles in a soda bottle--bright and painful at the same time. “That’s not what I said,” he tells Bruce. “I said I’m not gonna let you hurt the people I owe my life to.”

Bruce stands up, almost knocking his chair over. "Jason. You don't know what you're saying."

“Yeah, I do,” Jason says. He swallows. This has been good, but maybe… “I’m not like you, you know that. Down there is where I belong.”

"No," Bruce says, but Jason can hear it in his voice. Bruce has probably always kind of known that.

“I really like it here,” Jason says. “It’s been--really good.” He loves Bruce, is what he’s trying to say.

"You can't go." He sounds more like Batman than Bruce, but then his voice softens. "I don't want you to go. If you step into that life, there's no coming back. Even with me."

Jason says, “The fact that you think that is the problem, Bruce.”

"Think about it," Bruce says. "Give it a day. Don't make an irreversible decision now."

“Are you going to leave them alone?” Jason says. “Are you going to go tell your friend the commissioner that you need them _put away for good_ while I’m thinking it over?”

"I'm going to do that no matter what you decide," Bruce says. "I can't compromise what I believe is right any more than you can."

Jason feels a flicker of distress and doubt, but Bruce is right. Neither of them is very good at compromising. 

“Then I can’t stay,” he says. “I’m sorry.”

"Shit," Bruce whispers. Jason has never heard him say that before.

“Okay. I’m gonna get some of my stuff,” Jason says. “If that’s okay.” Wow. He did that. He’s doing this. What the hell? He wants to start laughing, but he doesn’t want to remind himself, or Bruce, of the Joker. 

"Alfred can help you," Bruce says shortly. His voice wobbles. "After today, our interactions won't be so pleasant."

“Yeah,” says Jason. Yeah.

He goes and finds Alfred and says, “Hey, I need to go. Can you--can you help me?”

Alfred, who was probably listening to more of that conversation than Jason or Bruce will ever know, pulls Jason into a hug. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," he says with feeling.

Jason hugs him back fiercely, knowing he probably won’t again. “I don’t need that much,” he says. “Just some stuff.” He won’t take anything that feels like stealing, although it would be kind of poetic.

"Take your time," Alfred says. "And I'll pack you food, and a few other things." He pauses. "If I thought you'd listen, I'd argue with you to stay. But--go to a friend. I know you have them."

Jason smiles. “Yeah. I do.”

Leaving sucks, and Bruce doesn’t see him out. It feels terrible, and he has to say goodbye to Alfred and the dog. He almost can’t let go of the dog. But he does let go, and he gets in the cab Alfred called him and he goes down into a crappy part of the city. He calls Eddie from outside the building.

“Hey,” he says. “Are you home?”

"Yup," Eddie says. "Just me. Come on in."

Jason climbs up the stairs and knocks on the door, then realizes it’s open and goes inside. He lets Eddie take in his face and his bags and the way he’s standing (he knows it’s a little pathetic).

"Well, that's not even fun to solve," Eddie says. "Hey. Put that stuff down. Come here."

Jason drops his bags and throws himself into Eddie’s arms.

“I told you I was going to help,” he says, snuffling. “So here I am. I’m gonna help.”

Eddie hugs him so tight. "Jesus," they mutter. "Bold move, that's all."

“Yeah, well,” Jason says. He wipes his eyes and steps back. “He was being a jerk.”

"That's kind of his MO," Eddie says, but kindly. "What do you think he's going to do next? What are _you_ going to do next?"

Jason needs to not worry about Bruce for a couple minutes. “I don’t know,” he says. “Call Dick. I mean, both of us will, maybe. Fight Bruce. Me and Dick, maybe.” Poor Dick.

Eddie raises their eyebrows. "It would be great if we could get him on our side. Him and his thighs."

Jason laughs. “Small chance,” he says. “But I’m kind of hoping I can live with him? He said I could crash.”

"You could crash here, too, but I'm betting his place is nicer," Eddie says. "Even if it's across the river."

“Not even a little nicer,” Jason says. “I think he spends it all on outfits.”

"Typical queen," Eddie says. "Honestly, though, do you need anything? I don't have a lot of money, but Jon does. We all want to help."

“I don’t know yet,” Jason says, but he knows a couple things. He wants to call Dick. He wants to call his mom. He wants to make sure they’re all on the same page, with Jason being down here. And then… “Hey, maybe you can help with one thing.”

"Definitely," Eddie looks a little nervous, which is fair. The whole situation is a lot.

But this part isn’t scary. It’s kind of exciting.

“Well, I’m not Robin anymore,” says Jason. “So I’m going to need a new name.”


End file.
